The Island Is A Mighty Fine Movie.

Rating: Null/10 (4 August 2005)

The Island is about the possibility, in the not too distant future, of a clone farm, for lack of a better term. When dealing with clones, especially in the movies, problems usually arise due to the lack of knowledge in the area. In this particular movie, it does not give away that they are clones too soon (unless you saw the preview). We are eased into their predicament slowly, although something is quite different and not right. At the beginning, I got sort of a Truman Show kind of feel to the movie, as they are always being watched, either by computers or cameras, and their lives are controlled in just about every detail.
The clones are told that the outer world is contaminated and that the only safe place left is "the island". The only way to get to the island is through random lotteries where the lucky winner is whisked away to their new paradise.
Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) is the first of the "harvested beings", as they put it, to start asking questions and even has distinct memories that were not embedded by the corporation. While wandering around, he soon discovers they have all been lied to. Meanwhile, one of his closest friends, Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansson), has just won the lottery! Just as she is getting ready to leave, Lincoln grabs her away and starts running.
The rest of the movie is pretty much a chase scene. One scene in particular closely resembles the one from Bad Boys II. That is not a bad thing, as it was still unique and fun watching the mass destruction.
Both Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson did a fine job in their roles. Somehow, I do not remember Scarlett being as hot as she was in this film but maybe that is just the movie magic. Either way, she has a new fan. Also, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Clarke Duncan, Steve Buscemi and Sean Bean did fine jobs with their roles. Duncan's role was pretty small but his performance was very strong and relevant to the story.
I was reminded of many movies while watching this one. One scene, while showing the harvesting, was closely resembling The Matrix. Also, one of the reasons I liked this movie so much was the ingenuity involved with inventions of the future. From innovated trains to literal desktop computers (that was awesome) to cars and even to an X-Box, those little things sprinkled all through the movie kept my eyes on the screen. Similar to I, Robot.
Although I would not have considered myself a fan of Michael Bay, after seeing this movie and realizing what other movies he is also responsible for (minus Pearl Harbor), I can say that I like his work and am looking forward to his upcoming Transformers project. 8.5/10